2023 TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL REVIEW!
Matt Sanchez grew up with two mothers–two mothers that cared for him and gave him a chance at a successful life. However, Letter to Rosie is a story that his mothers had never heard before–a time in Matt’s life when he felt vulnerable beyond measure. He’s struggled for years to tell his mothers what he once experienced in his childhood home, and through poetry he’s finally able to do that.
Letter to Rosie is one, long poem–one smooth telling of a challenging story. Without giving too much away, Letter to Rosie, beyond its initial bit of content, is a story that will ruffle feathers, antagonize, frustrate, and nauseate. The content of this film is dark, and it’s presented in a way that makes the content feel very real, almost visceral. While what Matt is saying is often difficult to swallow, the fact is that he’s able to bring his past to life in a way that reaches viewers, that allows them to understand and access the content of the film. While Matt wrote the film and he’s the face of the film, it’s clear that Director Ariel Danziger knows how to bring things to life, how to appeal to viewers, how to make things accessible, and how to make such dark content so easy to appreciate. Letter to Rosie has the potential to be difficult to appreciate, for viewers to quickly turn up their noses and express their disinterest in it because of what it tells them–but the combination of Danziger and Sanchez is spectacular, doing everything they can to reach their viewers, ultimately finding success.
Again, Letter to Rosie is poetry at its finest. There are instances when Matt is literally rapping, apparently one of the many opportunities that presented itself as a result of the life that his mothers gave him, and then there are moments of spoken word. Every second is beautiful, as every second flows smoothly and effectively into the next. Letter to Rosie remains poetic through its entirety, and the fact that the film is poetry creates a juxtaposition in tone, just enough that the film doesn’t become overwhelming. Due to the fact that this is a poem, the fact that Sanchez is so poetically inclined, and so capable of creating beauty with his words, he’s able to develop just enough balance, to, again, juxtapose the harrowing reality of the subject matter.
While, for all intents and purposes, Letter to Rosie is a documentary, recounting Matt’s real-life experiences to the world–this film requires Matt to put on a performance as well. He’s a stellar performer in more ways than one. We obviously get his musical content, and we get to hear the things that he is capable of–but even better we get to see his acting ability. I’m sure that much of the emotion that makes its way to the forefront of the film is genuine, but he still has to ensure that emotion shines through in the right moments, that it reaches viewers effectively. Letter to Rosie allows Sanchez to showcase a series of talents from beginning to end, and he captivates viewers throughout.
Letter to Rosie is dark, but it’s also beautiful and powerful. It will reach out and choke you, squeezing you within an inch of your life and only releasing its grasp just long enough for you to regain consciousness. The film never relents, it only knows to give us just enough space to digest what it’s saying, to appreciate this wonderful film and hard-hitting story. Sanchez and Danziger have a winner here with Letter to Rosie.
Directed by Ariel Danziger.
Written by Matt Sanchez.
Starring Matt Sanchez.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/10
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